Committee Charge

The purpose of the committee is to update the official online handbook to provide pertinent information on the goals, history, and major functions of NMRT for those associated with the Round Table.

History of the Committee

Since its inception in 1975/76, the Handbook committee has gathered information on the various NMRT officers, committees, and liaisons. From 1980 to 1982, the committee was inactive, and its function was taken over by the Committee on Governance. In 1982, it was reactivated as a separate committee and has been active ever since. In 2007-2008 the handbook was transferred from the ALA web site to the NMRT wiki for quicker updating.

Committee Composition and Terms of Office

Chair and Committee members: one year term, Annual to Annual

Responsibilities

Communicate with committee chairs and board members to gather feedback and revisions to keep the NMRT Handbook up-to-date.

Review existing material.

Maintain annual review of each section of the Handbook. Review and update relevant changes to sections that have not been updated in more than two to three years.

Contact executive board members and committee chairs to request that they review their position descriptions and timetables and submit any changes needed.

If sweeping changes are planned for any area of the Handbook, circulate a draft copy of the changes to the officers and other necessary contact people concerned directly with the Handbook for their ideas and input.

When Handbook Committee Chairs rotate, outgoing chair needs to contact the ALA Staff Liaison to have the sysop assigned to the newly appointed chair. The Sysop allows the Handbook Committee chair administrative authority to login and save edits to the Handbook wiki.

Chair should check the Recent Changes page on the wiki (under Navigation on left side of wiki screen), periodically, to remove spam and to block the spammers.

Contact People for Accomplishing Committee Objectives

NMRT President

NMRT Secretary (Handbook Committee Supervisor)

NMRT Vice-President/President-Elect

Other Members NMRT's Executive Board

Type of Record keeping

The Handbook Committee maintains files on all materials gathered by the Committee and all correspondence.

Reports and Dates for Submitting Reports

The Handbook Committee submits written reports to the NMRT President and other members of the Executive Board at the Annual Conference, after Midwinter, and at other times upon request. When appropriate, articles may be submitted to Footnotes.

General Timetable of Activities

June/July

Following the Annual Meeting, contact committee members to welcome them to the committee and ask that they introduce themselves to each other.

New committee chair, contact former committee chair to learn about your role and responsibilities. Read through the Handbook, note areas that obviously need attention, and map out a strategy to deal with them.

Prepare a "Plan of Action" for that year's Handbook Committee work and assign tasks to Committee members. Submit a copy of the Plan of Action to the President and the Executive Board via ALA Connect.

August

It is good to maintain communications with officers and chairs throughout the year. You may assign 3-4 committee chairs to each of your committee members and ask them to contact their assigned chairs and introduce themselves and let them know they will be the liaison for any requested changes throughout the year.You may choose to solicit revisions from officers and committee chairs in the fall or spring. It is up to you. It has been my experience that they will send them to you throughout the year.

In the event that any requested changes may need Executive Board attention, request that changes be submitted well before Midwinter Conference.

September/October

Stay in touch with committee members as they begin to carry out their assignments.

November/December

Prepare progress report.

In the event that any section of the Handbook requires Executive Board action (i.e. any major structural changes or any committee charges that need major revisions), prepare information to share with the board before midwinter conference.

January

If you chose to request changes from chairs and officers in the spring, communicate with them at this time. You will be requesting revisions, additions, or editing of their description or timetable as needed from that chair's committee page in the Handbook. Or follow up with them with an email, if you have already requested changes in the fall.

February

Prepare progress report and submit via ALA Connect.

March

Check in with your committee members on their committee work.

May

Finish up Handbook revisions. Requests for changes may trickle in at end of the year. If a committee chair never responds to the committee member's requests for changes, assume that no changes were needed to the page; edit the page as reviewed with the month and year.

Prepare Handbook Committee materials for next Chair.

June

Prepare final report outlining what the committee accomplished during the term.

Outgoing chair should contact the ALA Staff Liaison to have the sysop assigned to the newly appointed chair. The Sysop allows the Handbook Committee chair administrative authority to login and save edits to the Handbook wiki.